[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 45 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E471-E472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WOMEN AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH EQUITY ACT OF 1996

                                 ______


                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 27, 1996

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Women and Alcohol 
Research Equity Act of 1996. This legislation will enable the National 
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA] to increase their 
research on women and alcoholism.

[[Page E472]]

  Over the last few years, NIAAA has made great strides in 
incorporating women into their research, and I applaud them for their 
progress. In fiscal year 1995, NIAAA spent 23 percent of their budget 
on research on alcohol abuse and alcoholism among women. This 
represents a 69-percent increase over their fiscal year 1992 spending. 
However, the differences in the effects of alcohol and alcoholism on 
men and women necessitate further research on women and alcoholism.
  The impact of alcoholism on women and men differs greatly. Women are 
more likely to use nontraditional health care systems for alcohol-
related problems. Studies have shown that the development of 
consequences associated with heavy drinking may be accelerated in 
women. The death rate of female alcoholics is 50 to 100 percent higher 
than for male alcoholics. Heavy drinking contributes to menstrual 
disorders, fertility problems, and premature menopause, and alcohol use 
by pregnant women is the leading known cause of mental retardation in 
newborns. FAS strikes between 3,600 to 10,000 babies a year, and a 
Centers for Disease Control study indicates that the percentage of 
babies born with alcohol-related health problems increased sixfold 
between 1979 and 1993. It is critical that we bolster NIAAA's research 
on women and alcohol, and this legislation will help accomplish this.
  This legislation recognizes the progress NIAAA has made. It instructs 
the NIAAA to maintain their current spending on women and alcoholism 
within their existing budget. It would also instruct House authorizers 
to add an additional $25 million in spending for NIAAA on research on 
alcohol abuse and alcoholism among women. Thus, this additional money 
would not subtract money from NIAAA's overall budget for women and 
alcohol, but instead add new funds for this critical research.
  Clearly, alcohol abuse among women is a very serious problem with 
grave consequences. This legislation will include women in NIAAA's 
research so that we may better understand the effects of alcoholism 
particular to women and develop solutions that will work for women.

                          ____________________